


Why Did It Have To Be Me?

by UtmostCalamity



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Mutual Pining, Pining, Summer, Summer Romance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2019-09-02
Packaged: 2019-10-01 15:54:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17247089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/UtmostCalamity/pseuds/UtmostCalamity
Summary: Noya is bored out of his mind at the beginning of the summer without much hope for things getting any better. Tanaka reassures him that there's an easy cure for his melancholy, if he's up for it...





	1. When You Were Lonely

**Author's Note:**

> Hey y'all! This is the first fic I've written in a little over three years, so please let me know what you think of it!

Noya sighed as he took in the sight of his day camp counselor uniform in his bedroom mirror. His staff t-shirt was an obscenely bright canary-yellow, which to Noya’s dismay seemed to clash with his bleached shock of hair. He groaned as he tugged the shirt away from his skin to inspect the lettering, which for some god-forsaken reason was printed in a screaming cobalt across the chest and back. The shirt’s only redeeming quality was that it seemed to fit him nicely, hugging across his shoulders and chest to hint at the defined muscles underneath.

Having given up on willing his uniform shirt into something less atrocious, Noya squeezed some sunscreen onto his fingers. The nostalgic scent of summer on his hands soothed him. He felt the tension seep out of his shoulders as he walked over to his bedroom window. As he rubbed the sunscreen onto his arms and face, Noya gazed out over the street below.

  
The second story apartment was tucked away above a quiet street in a historic part of the city. Littered with small cafes, bistros, markets, and boutiques, it was just a short walk from the university in one direction. Luckily for his summer job, the park in the other direction was even closer. There was always some traffic noise, but people generally seemed to prefer riding their bikes or walking through the scenic area, so typically the street was pretty quiet. The location itself was certainly convenient, but the calm and laid-back atmosphere was starting to grate on him. His bones practically ached with a longing for some kind of excitement, and his long morning runs through the area were becoming increasingly less effective at burning out his pent-up energy.

  
_At least this summer camp should be interesting_ , Noya thought, catching one last glimpse at his unfortunate staff t-shirt on the way out of his room. Teaching a bunch of ten-year-olds how to play volleyball five days a week would surely chase away some of the monotony of his life.

  
When Noya walked into the apartment’s tiny kitchen, Tanaka grunted and slid a box of cereal across the counter toward him. Noya fought back a grin at the sight of his roommate and best friend, who was definitely not meant to be awake before nine. The guy was barely keeping his eyes open, and was staring listlessly into one of their kitchen drawers with no indication he had any idea what he was looking for.

  
“Mind handing me a spoon?” Noya laughed, shaking Tanaka out of his trance. Noya grabbed both spoons from Tanaka as he pulled them from the drawer, dropping them into their respective cereal bowls. Before Tanaka could even close the cutlery drawer, Noya was walking over to their little kitchen table with both bowls in hand.

  
“Noya, you’re a sweet morning angel, you know that?” Tanaka sighed, trudging over to his seat.

  
“I know,” Noya grinned, “Want me to get the coffee started?”

  
Tanaka let out a sleep-heavy sigh. “Absolutely.” He pushed his cereal bowl to the side and dropped his head, a little too quickly, onto the table. Noya rolled his eyes affectionately, switching on the coffee pot and pulling out their mugs. Their little brewer was taking longer and longer each day to cough out coffee, so Noya grabbed a banana and hopped up to sit on the counter while he waited.

  
“Hey, Ryuu, I think our coffee pot has pneumonia,” Noya said, listening to the brewer wheeze.

  
“Want me to prepare a eulogy?” Tanaka asked, his voice muffled by the table.

  
Noya chuckled, “Yeah, could you also keep your eyes peeled for a replacement in your shop?”

  
Tanaka only grunted, leaving Noya to assume he meant _Sure, Noya, anything for you!_

  
Once the brewer finally spluttered out enough coffee for the both of them, Noya filled their mugs and brought them over to the table.

  
“Here you go, two spoons of sugar and a splash of cream,” Noya said, placing Tanaka’s mug gently by his head.

  
Tanaka took a deep breath and with seemingly gargantuan effort lifted himself into an upright position. He took one sip of coffee and sighed, looking instantly more alert.

  
“Marry me?”

  
Noya laughed and gently kicked Tanaka’s shins. “Sure dude, literally anything if it means I won’t be so frickin’ bored all the time anymore.”

  
Tanaka scoffed and pressed a hand to his heart, pulling a face that Noya thought was supposed to make him look deeply offended. “Excuse me, sir, but are you telling me that I, your amazing, incredible, highly interesting, and dashing best friend, am boring you?”

  
Noya scoffed as he started digging into his cereal. “Dude, did I put something weird in your coffee by accident? You were a zombie like four seconds ago, and now look at you, all capable of big words and stuff.”

  
“Sounds to me like someone’s avoiding the question!” Tanaka said in an affected sing-song voice.

  
“No, Ryuu, love of my life, you never bore me,” Noya teased, “It’s just that I feel like nothing exciting ever happens around here and I’m just getting so tired of it. I haven’t done anything fun in weeks, between finishing up last semester and getting everything together for this summer job. It’s honestly starting to drive me crazy.”

  
Ryuu narrowed his eyes and grinned, kicking back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. “Well, my dude, luckily your awesome best friend here knows just the solution for summer boredom.”

  
“Please, do enlighten me,” Noya said, rolling his eyes as he started on his cereal.

  
“You need to get laid.”

  
Noya immediately started choking, sending Tanaka into raucous laughter.

  
“Ah, dude, the look on your face,” Tanaka gasped, wiping a tear from his eye, “Priceless!” Tanaka took a deep breath and grinned at his friend, “But I am being totally serious dude. Find yourself a summer lover to chase your boredom away!”

  
Noya let out one last deep cough, beating his chest. “Yeah sure,” he gasped, “Let me get right on that in my copious amounts of free time.” He eased himself back in his chair once he was able to catch his breath again. “How am I supposed to balance this job and my online classes with a summer romance?”

  
“Dude, you’re missing the point here,” Tanaka explained, “I’m not talking about a summer romance. I’m just suggesting you find yourself a regular hook-up. No effort needed!”

  
Noya folded his arms belligerently over his chest. “Yeah, okay, fine,” he said, “But the fact remains that in order to hook up with someone, I have to _meet_ someone to hook up _with_. Where am I supposed to do that?”

  
Tanaka’s signature predatory grin split his face nearly in half as he leaned in toward Noya. “Well, you could skip out on being lame this Friday night and come into the city with me and Ennoshita for once! We’re planning on hitting up some of the clubs on the main strip.”

  
Noya had barely opened his mouth to protest when Tanaka cut him off.

  
“Don’t even think about it!” he said, “Do you or do you not want to get laid?”

“I do…” Noya grumbled.

  
“And do you or do you not trust me to help you out?”

  
Noya glared at his best friend, who raised his eyebrows in expectation. “Yeah, of course I trust you,” Noya said.

  
“Then it’s settled! You, me, and Enno are going out Friday night and you are not backing out on us!” Tanaka threw back the rest of his cereal and leapt out of his chair, obviously energized.

  
Noya sighed and finished off his cereal as well, watching as Tanaka, now very clearly alert, raced to wash his dishes and finish getting ready for his job at the small grocery two blocks down from their apartment.

  
Noya checked his watch and decided he might as well head out early for his first day of work. _This is going to be a long week_ , he thought, grabbing his sunglasses and wallet before heading out the door.

 

✦✦✦

 

In an effort to stave off his boredom until the weekend, Noya had taken to changing up the route he took walking through the park to the pavilion where the volleyball counselors were supposed to meet. This morning, he was walking along the road that passed the pool, sipping a protein shake.

  
“On your left!”

  
Noya shuffled a bit to the right to get out of the way of the cyclist coming up behind him, looking up to watch him pass. As the rider came into view, Noya’s heart nearly stopped. The man was gorgeous. Noya didn’t see much of his face, but he couldn’t complain, because his back was phenomenal. The plain white t-shirt the cyclist was wearing pulled tight across a large and well-defined back and shoulders. The short sleeves did little to hide thick biceps, and the gentle slope up the path he was riding was just steep enough to accentuate his gorgeous calves.

  
“Oh, my God,” Noya whispered once he could catch his breath. He picked up his pace a little, trotting to crest the little hill to see where the man was headed.  
“Please stop at the pool, please stop at the pool, please stop at the pool,” Noya chanted under his breath, praying to any divine being who might be listening that this man was indeed a lifeguard as his white t-shirt and red shorts suggested.

  
Noya watched the man gracefully coast toward a bike rack near the main gate into the pool, pulling to a stop and swinging himself up and off the bike in one fluid motion. He pulled his helmet off, and Noya could have sworn time slowed down as the man tugged his hair free of the elastic keeping it back.

  
“Holy shit,” Noya breathed, heart racing as the man’s loose waves fell around his broad shoulders. A few strands danced in the gentle breeze, but they were quickly caught up in the beautiful stranger’s hands as he pulled his arms up over his head to sweep his hair back into a low, messy bun. By reaching up to pull his hair back, the man’s shirt teased upward as well, revealing his deeply-tanned lower back. Noya practically whimpered, especially as the man shifted his weight to one leg, tilting his hips perfectly to display just how well his red trunks hugged all the right curves.

  
_Oh_ , Noya thought, a crooked grin lighting up his face, _you are definitely the one_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Noya makes his move


	2. It's Only Natural

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2 is here! I apologize for the delay, I was out of town and had far less time to work on this than I thought I did! I'm hoping to keep this updated at least once a week, but feel free to check up on my tumblr to see what's going on in between updates (or reach out to me there if you want!). 
> 
> As usual, please enjoy and let me know what you think!

Noya put on his most charming smile as he pulled his sunglasses off the top of his head. “Hey!” he called out, waving at the gorgeous lifeguard, “Did you drop these?”

The man flinched a little at the sound of Noya’s shout, but quickly turned to see if he was the one being addressed.

Noya trotted over to the man, trying to look casual and not like his heart was about to explode from excitement. “Sorry to bother you,” he said, “I was just wondering if you dropped these?” Noya held out his sunglasses toward the man so he could see.

The stranger lifted an eyebrow in confusion, reaching out to take the sunglasses from Noya’s outstretched hand. As the man’s skin brushed against his, Noya felt something like a bolt of lightning strike right through him, leaving his entire body tingling.

The man turned the sunglasses over in his hands before handing them back to Noya with a shy smile. “Ah, thank you for asking, but I don’t think these belong to me,” he said, nervously rubbing his neck as he handed the glasses back. Noya had to physically shake his head a little to stop himself from staring at the way this man’s biceps flexed as he moved his gorgeous arms.

“Ah, too bad,” Noya said, “They’re pretty cool shades, I thought for sure you looked like the kind of guy who might have dropped them.”

The man instantly blushed across the tops of his cheekbones, nearly giving Noya chills.

“Oh, ah, well, that’s very kind of you to say! You’re right, they are pretty nice sunglasses, so, um, maybe you should hang on to them? They look like they would suit you, uh… yeah.”

Noya struggled with all his might to hold back a laugh and a blush of his own. _God, this guy is perfect_ , he thought, _Gorgeous and sweet. What more could I ask for?_

“Well, if you think so, maybe I will keep them!” Noya said, returning his sunglasses to his head. “So, you lifeguard here?”

“Um, yeah, I do,” the man said, digging into his back to grab a bike cable. “And you must be a camp counselor?” He asked, gesturing toward Noya’s god-awful staff t-shirt.

“Yeah,” Noya laughed, “Lucky for me the job is a lot cooler than the uniform! I teach the campers how to play volleyball, but unfortunately I have to wear this awful thing. You lifeguards really get it all though, fun job and you don’t have to dress like dorks!”

“Maybe… but at least the kids seem to like you guys better. I just get glares from blowing the whistle if someone’s running or making everyone get out of the pool if we hear thunder… Not a great way to endear myself in their hearts, you know?”

“Ha, yeah! I guess we got you beat there!” Noya said. He glanced down at his watch, stifling a groan when he realized he really needed to start heading over to the pavilion by the volleyball courts.

“Well,” he said, “I guess I better get going to help set everything up for the little rascals.” Noya started taking a few steps back, heading back toward the road he needed to take toward the courts. “Anyway, it was nice meeting you! I don’t think I caught your name?”

“Oh, sorry! You can call me Asahi.”

“And you can call me Noya.” Noya chewed his lip for a moment out of habit as he thought of exactly what he wanted to say next. “And um, I’ll see you around?”

 _Oh my God why am I so lame a literal divine being is in front of me and this is all I can come up with?!_ Noya berated himself internally, fighting the urge to cringe.

Asahi, instead of looking put-off like Noya thought he would, just smiled gently, a blush still coloring his cheeks. “Probably, since it looks like we both start work around the same time. It was nice to meet you as well, by the way.”

Noya’s heart went into maximum overdrive, so that he wasn’t altogether sure Asahi wouldn’t be able to hear it singing. Since his tongue seemed to have glued itself to the roof of his mouth, Noya simply waved before turning and trotting back toward the main path.

 

✦✦✦

 

“Why are you leaving so early?”

Noya furrowed his brows, confused when he couldn’t immediately locate the source of Tanaka’s voice. Taking a few steps back toward the living room, Noya spotted a Tanaka-shaped lump on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket with nothing but his nose peeking out.

Noya hesitated for a moment, usure of how much he was ready to reveal to his roommate. “I just want to get to the park a little earlier today,” he explained, “It’s really nice being there while it’s still quiet and people are just showing up and stuff.”

Tanka rustled under his blanket, pulling it down from over his head to squint at Noya. “You want to get to the park,” he glanced down at his watch, “an hour before you need to be there… Because it’s nice to watch people?”

Noya fidgeted a little under his best friend’s scrutinizing gaze, nervously toying with the hem of his shirt. “Uhh… yeah?”

“Bullshit.” Tanaka said, shaking his blanket off his shoulders so he could cross his arms over his chest. “You have a secret that you’re keeping from me.”

“Well I mean-”

“Ah ah!” Tanaka cut off Noya as he tried to protest. “As your best friend, it is my sacred responsibility to know every detail about your life no matter how insignificant. For instance, trying to leave our apartment before making me, the love of your life, your dearest and closest friend, your brother-in-arms, your-”

“I’ll start the coffee pot before I leave.”

Tanaka visibly relaxed back into the cushions. “Well, in that case, I forgive you for leaving early.”

Noya grinned and rolled his eyes as he moved to leave the living room.

“But-” Noya flinched at the sound of his roommates voice, “I do not forgive you for trying to keep a secret from me. Come on dude, just tell me what you’re up to!”

Noya sighed, accepting that his best friend was not going to drop the issue and he may as well surrender now and get it over with. Years of knowing Tanaka meant that trying to hide anything was futile, because Tanaka would stop at nothing until he had all but physically pried the information from Noya.

“Alright, alright, alright,” Noya said, anxiously shifting his weight from one foot to another, “Yesterday morning, I was taking a different route through the park to get to work, and… I, uh, I met a guy.”

Tanaka fixed a blank stare on Noya for a few moments, and as Noya watched for his reaction, he could practically see the information processing in his best friend’s head. Slowly, a grin spread across Tanaka’s face, growing wider and wider until Noya was sure his face would split in two. When Tanaka started drawing in a deep breath, Noya tensed in anticipation.

“What did I say!” Tanaka crowed at the top of his lungs, his excitement buzzing through the air, “What did I say! I, your very best friend in this whole world, only yesterday gifted you with the sagely advice to cure your summer boredom, and what happened?” Tanaka leapt to his feet, racing over to grab Noya by the shoulders. “Like the brilliant student of my teachings that you are you have immediately incorporated my words of wisdom into your life! And now, you-”

“Ryuu, I swear, what are you taking? You’re out here spouting nonsense and it’s barely 8am.” Noya grabbed onto Tanaka’s wrists, trying to mitigate some of the force his roommate was putting behind his excited throttling.

“Pff, harsh,” Tanaka laughed, “Can’t a guy express unadulterated joy for his best friend, who is definitely getting laid sooner than he thought, first thing in the morning without being judged?” When Noya merely raised an eyebrow in response, Tanaka huffed dramatically. “Okay, fine,” he said, letting go of Noya’s shirt and walking back to flop down on the couch, “I’ll leave you be for now.” Tanaka let out a long and extended groan as he stretched out on the cushions before settling in under his blanket once more. “Just be a darling and start the coffee for me before you head out to make moves on your man. And be aware that I expect you to tell me everything when you get back!”

Noya rolled his eyes and trudged over to the kitchen, already dreading the interrogation he knew was brewing in the dark, perverted depths of Tanaka’s mind. He moved through the steps to prepare the coffee on autopilot, thinking instead about how he was going to approach Asahi this morning. He was going to have to bring his A-game if he wanted to get any action, but what was his in? Noya definitely wasn’t used to approaching guys for the sole purpose of getting laid as quickly as possible, so he really didn’t know what angle to take.

“Hey, Noya, what’re you doing in there?” Tanaka called, startling Noya enough to make him spill some of the sugar he had been pouring into Tanaka’s mug.

“Lay off dude, I swear,” Noya griped, “I’m getting your coffee ready you whore!”

It was then that Noya realized the kitchen was suspiciously quiet. Confused, he turned toward the coffee pot. He could’ve sworn he had turned it on, but the lack of its rattling coughs in the air said otherwise.

Groaning internally, Noya stalked over to the pot, pushing the button to start it up. When the light didn’t click on, Noya furrowed his brows. He jiggled the plug in it’s outlet in case it was loose, and tried turning it on again. Nothing. He switched the plug to another outlet. Silence. Noya let out a low groan, but just before his frustration could mount to pitching the corpse of the coffee pot out the window, a thought popped into his head. His eyes lit up as he gasped, “That’s it!”

“What’s it?” Tanaka groaned, his spark of liveliness from moments before completely absent from his tone.

“Ryuu, I have terrible news, my heart,” Noya sang, all but skipping back into the living room.

Tanaka squinted in confusion at his best friend, the dissonance between Noya’s words and his tone throwing him off. “Yeah, sounds like it,” he grunted, “What happened?”

“It seems as though our poor coffee pot has given up the ghost. Croaked. Breathed its last. Is now swimming with the fishes, as it were.”

“And yet here you are, chirping like a bird,” Tanaka sighed. “Is there no respect left in this world for those who have left us? Why do you sound so thrilled?”

“Because,” Noya said, “Now I have an in.”

 

✦✦✦

 

Fifteen minutes later, Noya was doing his best to keep from sprinting down the path to the pool. He was a little later to the park than he had been yesterday, and he wasn’t sure what he would do if he had already missed his chance at catching Asahi before work. As he crested the small hill where the pool came into sight, Noya nearly flatlined.

Asahi had already chained his bike to the rack, but was fiddling with the way it was locked up as though he wasn’t satisfied that it was secure. _Or_ , Noya thought, _as though he’s trying to stall before he heads into the pool! Maybe this whole thing will be easier than I thought…_

“Hey, Asahi!” he called out, walking toward the stunning lifeguard. Man, it just wasn’t _fair_ how good this guy looked. From his glowing tan and toned muscles to his shining hair and kind eyes, Asahi was surely not of this earth. Noya felt like a gremlin in comparison.

Asahi jumped at the sound of Noya’s voice, spinning around to watch his approach. “Oh, uh, good morning, Noya!” He stammered, lifting his hand for an awkward wave. “It’s good to see you! I wasn’t sure I would-”

Asahi immediately shut his mouth, a deep blush spreading across his face. Noya couldn’t help but grin and throw a little swagger in his step as he closed the distance between them. His heart was racing at the speed of light, but he did his best to not let it show. Instead, he channeled his much confidence as he could muster, deciding to push things a little further than he normally would.

“Oh, what was that?” Noya nearly crooned, “You weren’t sure you would what?” He stopped just inches from Asahi, further into the man’s personal space than he would otherwise dare were seduction not his sole mission.

Asahi coughed awkwardly, leaning back a bit as he smoothed his hand over his hair. “Um, I mean, what I was trying to say is… Well, you see, it’s just that… I guess I was looking forward to seeing you again this morning is all!”

Noya’s eyebrows flew up at the admission. Perhaps this would be easier than he thought after all. “Is that so?” Noya asked, biting his lip in what he hoped was an alluring manner, “I’m flattered! I didn’t mean to keep you waiting.”

Asahi frantically waved his hands in front of him, “No no no! That’s not at all what I meant! You weren’t keeping me waiting at all, I didn’t mean it to sound that way! I just thought it would be nice to see you again is all, since you seem nice and we both work in the same park and, uh, yeah! That’s all!”

Noya laughed lightly, reaching out to casually brush Asahi’s arm. “Don’t worry, I’m just teasing!” Noya said, reveling in the way Asahi’s muscles felt under his brief touch, “But I would be lying if I didn’t admit that I was looking forward to seeing you as well.”

Asahi looked ready to crawl out of his skin and disappear at this point, so Noya took a step back and held up the coffee cup in his hand. “I was running a little late though because I had to stop and grab coffee on my way! My coffee pot seems to have passed away in the night, and I literally cannot make it through camp without caffeine.”

“I know what you mean,” Asahi said, face still flushed. “I feel like if I didn’t have coffee before work my morning zombie-face would make the kids cry.”

Noya burst out laughing, causing Asahi to start. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry!” Noya wheezed, “It’s just that I totally can’t even picture that! You look so nice, how could anyone be afraid of you?”

Asahi seemed completely lost for words, so Noya took a few deep breaths to calm himself. “Ah,” he sighed, casually carding his fingers through his hair, “Anyway, since I can no longer rely on my dearly departed coffee pot and I probably won’t be getting a new one for a while, would you like to stop at a cafe with me tomorrow morning to caffeinate? I’d definitely appreciate the company.”

“Oh! Um, I would, uh, yeah! That sounds great!” Asahi choked, “Where should we meet?”

Noya scrunched his nose slightly, scratching his head. “Oh gosh, this is so embarrassing!” he said, “There’s this nice place on the way here from my apartment, but for the life of me I can’t think of the name!” Noya bore a self-deprecating grin as he looked up at Asahi. _Hook._ “If you don’t mind, you could give me your number and I’ll just text you later after I pass it and get the name!” _Line_.

“Uh, yeah! That sounds perfect!” Asahi said, taking Noya’s phone to enter his number.

_And sinker!_

It took all of Noya’s self control not to crow with excitement as he sent Asahi a quick text so he would have his number as well. He had never gotten a guy’s number that fast in his entire life! At the rate things were going so far, it looked like his summer might just pan out to be exciting after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Asahi gushes to Daichi


	3. Looking for Someone to Hold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here she is, the next chapter! I've started up classes once again so I'm hoping to stick to about one update a week, but of course things might change here or there! I have the whole story plotted out, it's just a matter of getting to writing! If you want updates at any point on how things are going or you want to make suggestions for this story or future ones, feel free to message me on tumblr at UtmostCalamity!

Asahi rubbed his hands nervously on the hem of his white t-shirt, cursing his sweaty palms. He glanced at his watch, wincing when he realized he still had ten minutes to wait until Noya was supposed to show up.

 _I should have waited a little longer to leave,_ Asahi thought, _why do I always do this?_ Asahi knew that arriving so early meant he just had a lot of extra time to stand around and look awkward while working himself into more and more of a nervous wreck as he thought of all the ways he could potentially mess up his date.

 _Date? Is this a date?_ Asahi felt his heart rate pick up and sweat started beading on his brow despite it still being nice and cool so early in the morning. Desperate to distract himself before he could start looking as gross on the outside as he was starting to feel on the inside, Asahi slowly chained his bike to the rack outside the coffee shop, then started inspecting it for any little adjustments or repairs it might need. With his regular tendency to show up early to places and his nervous obsession with maintaining his bike, there was of course nothing to fix. Looking down at his watch again, Asahi groaned, seeing as only one minute had passed.

Asahi straightened up and scratched his head, unsure of what to do. Should he wait outside for Noya? Should he head inside? Should he order something, or should he wait? Should he order something for both of them? What would Noya even like to drink? He seems like the kind of guy who would like something really sweet and sugary, but would he want that before standing outside in the sun all day? Would it be weird to order something for a guy he had met just two days before? Is that taking things too fast? He wouldn’t want Noya to think-

“Hey, Asahi!”

Asahi whirled around at the sound of Noya’s voice, his heart immediately going into hyper-speed. He reflexively reached up to smooth his hair and rub the back of his neck. “Oh, uh, good morning Noya!” Asahi felt the blush rising on his cheeks, berating himself for sounding so lame.

“Good morning! I hope I didn’t keep you waiting for long?” Noya asked, walking up to Asahi before stopping a little closer into Asahi’s space than he would have liked.

“Oh, no no no! You didn’t keep me waiting at all! I was actually too early, I probably should have just waited a little longer to leave, but I wanted to make sure I could find this place. I know I have to ride past it almost every day, but I don’t think I’ve ever really noticed it!” Asahi couldn’t believe how high his voice was, why was he talking so fast? _Oh my God, I seriously need to chill out! Stop rambling you idiot! He totally thinks I’m a loser!_

Noya simply laughed and waved off Asahi’s obvious nerves. “Don’t even worry about it! I showed up a little early too, after all. Now we just have a little more time to spend together!”

Asahi was sure his heart stopped. _I think I might actually be dying. Am I dying? I can’t feel my fingertips. Is the world going dark? Am I- Oh, no, there’s my heart. We’re good. This is fine. Everything’s fine._

“So, should we head inside then?”

Asahi blinked rapidly, looking back down at the little camp counselor in front of him. His face was so sweet and open, as though he were actually excited to be getting coffee _with_ Asahi, not just at the same _time_ as Asahi. His chest tightened painfully at the thought. _What am I thinking? We met two days ago! There’s no way he’s thinking about me like that… Why does my chest hurt so much? Am I really that desperate? Wait… Air._

“Yes, let’s head in!” Asahi gasped, realizing he had forgotten to breathe.

Electricity raced up Asahi’s arm as Noya gently wrapped his fingers around his wrist to tug him forward a bit toward the entrance of the cafe. The touch was fleeting, and as Noya pulled his hand away to lead the way inside, Asahi found himself wishing that he could take the smaller man’s hand in his own.

 _Oh, my God. I am the lamest. I am the worst. Who thinks like that about someone they_ literally _just met? I am an actual crazy person._ Asahi scolded himself, trying desperately to push down the feelings that were budding up inside of him. He couldn’t let his thoughts run away from him; after all, he had no idea how Noya felt about him. He had to be careful.

 

✦✦✦

 

“Please, you really shouldn’t laugh!” Asahi gasped, fighting back his own chuckles as Noya’s clear, chiming laughter rang through the air.

“I just can’t believe it!” Noya panted, struggling to catch his breath. He reached out to steady himself on Asahi’s hand where it rested on his bike handle as he guided it toward the park. Asahi watched Noya’s hand like a hawk where his touch seared into his skin, unable to focus on anything else as Noya lingered perhaps a little longer than a purely platonic acquaintance would have.

“So let me get this straight. This little kid was mad at you for telling him to get out of the pool for twenty minutes because he was roughhousing, so he just walked over and tried to push you in?”

“Yeah, that pretty much sums it up,” Asahi confirmed, grinning as Noya was sent into another fit of laughter.

“I can see it now!” He wheezed, “Some kid, what, three feet tall? Just stalks over- ha! And tries to shove you- You! Into the pool! The look on his face! The look on _your_ face! I can’t! This is too good!” Noya wiped a tear from his face, flushed with mirth, and looked up at Asahi. “I so wish I could have been there to see it!”

“Noya, really! You shouldn’t laugh, I had to ban him from the pool for the day! His camp counselor was furious…” Asahi shuddered, remembering the shooting glares directed at him for the next hour until the camp groups rotated.

The two spent the rest of the walk to the park swapping funny stories about their first days of work for the summer and predictions for what kinds of things they might see that day. Asahi found that, although Noya kept his heart racing the whole time, it gradually became easier to talk to him. Asahi noted that as being rather strange, seeing as any time he had tried to talk to a cute guy in the past he had been incapable of speech within minutes. But with Noya, things were different. There was something about the way he drove the conversation to learn more about Asahi, as though Noya were genuinely hanging onto every word that spilled out of his mouth.

“Well, this is where I leave you!” Noya chirped once the pair reached the bike rack closest to the pool entrance.

“Oh, uh, yeah, I guess so!” Asahi found himself stumbling on his words again, nervous now because he _desperately_ wanted to ask Noya out for coffee again the next morning, but how was he supposed to ask? Should he be casual about it? Should he mention Noya’s lack of a coffee pot? Should he be straightforward and confess to enjoying Noya’s company and wanting to see him again? Should he offer to-

“Anyway, I had a nice time this morning! You’re a much better coffee date than my roommate.”

_Date!_

“All he does is sit around and stare at the walls until the caffeine hits him. Sometimes I worry he’s going to choke on his cereal because he’s such a zombie and I’ll actually have to use my CPR training and that would just be a nightmare!”

Asahi burst out laughing, forgetting his nerves entirely as he was caught back up in Noya’s infectious enthusiasm. “That’s terrible! I hope you two get a new coffee pot soon so you can keep him alive! Or, well, I mean-” Asahi furiously backpedalled, remembering that he didn’t want Noya to have a new coffee pot soon because he wanted Noya to get coffee with him in the morning even if it was selfish and Noya would probably-

“Actually, I don’t really mind if we get a new coffee pot for a while. Like I said, you’re much better company in the morning than Ryuu, and I was hoping you might want to meet up at the same time tomorrow?”

 _I might actually code right now_ , Asahi thought, thrilled that Noya had been the one to ask for another coffee… date? the next morning. However, he was simultaneously horrified that his heart would literally stop and Noya might have to perform CPR on him right there in the middle of the park in front of all the campers arriving whose lives he needed to be responsible for and-

“If, that’s okay with you?” Noya said, a little less sure of himself now that Asahi had paused for a little longer than he probably should have to freak out.

“Oh, yes, absolutely!” Asahi scrambled to reassure Noya, kicking himself for being so awkward. “I had a good time too, and the coffee is delicious! Better than anything my roommate makes, that is.”

“Okay then, it’s a date!” Noya chirped. “I’ll see you tomorrow, I’d better get going before I’m late!” Noya turned and darted off toward the volleyball courts further down the path, leaving Asahi in a daze.

_A date!_

 

✦✦✦

 

“Daichi! I have a _huge_ problem!” Asahi called as he walked into his apartment after work. “Well, actually it’s a small problem. A very small, very cute, breathtaking problem. A problem that-”

“Asahi, you’re rambling!” Asahi’s roommate called from the living room.

Asahi sighed and trudged in to plop down on the couch beside his best friend. When Daichi gave him a pointed look, Asahi couldn’t help but groan and throw his arms over his face as a hot blush spread over his cheeks.

Daichi’s face quirked into a mischievous grin, a trait Asahi knew he had definitely picked up from his devious boyfriend. “So, you have a problem you say? A… what was it again? A small, cute problem?”

Asahi merely nodded, still hiding his face as best he could while still remaining able to peek out at Daichi to gauge his reactions.

“Well, tell me about it!” Daichi insisted, “You obviously want to.”

Asahi sighed deeply, suddenly nervous to reveal too much. After all, he had just met Noya and he didn’t want to reveal anything to Daichi too soon, but God Noya was just so perfect and he really wanted things to go somewhere, he just wasn’t-

“Or, if you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine too,” Daichi said nonchalantly, settling back into the couch to scroll through his phone.

_Daichi whyyyyy do you do this to meeeeee!_

Asahi dropped his arms to lay limply beside him on the couch, huffing out a tortured sigh. “I met a guy the other day,” he managed to choke out, his cheeks still burning furiously.

“Oh?” Daichi asked. Asahi mentally cursed his best friend for his feigned casual tone around a subject that was obviously a matter of life or death for him.

“Yeah… we met the other day, and this morning we stopped for coffee on the way to work.”

“Ah, so does he work at the pool as well?”

“No, he’s a counselor for the volleyball camp in the same park though.”

“I see… And you got coffee together this morning?”

Asahi could practically feel the sweat beading on his brow as a result of Daichi’s fake-casual interrogation strategy. The questions were obviously loaded but he was asking innocent enough questions that Asahi couldn’t just ignore him.

“Yeah, he mentioned yesterday that his coffee pot broke and he’d like some company getting coffee on the way to work since he wouldn’t be able to have coffee in the morning with his roommate like he normally would so he just asked me to tag along with him I guess and it was fine.”

Daichi blinked rapidly, clearly fighting back a wide grin. “Oh, it was just fine? Not a date to write home about?”

“Daichi! It wasn’t a date! He just wanted some company for his morning coffee!”

“Dude, it was definitely a date. He asked you out. On a date.”

“But I just met him two days ago! Why would he ask me out on a date? We barely know each other!”

“You know, Asahi,” Daichi said, a touch of sarcasm coloring his tone, “Typically, people ask other people out on dates because they don’t know them very well and they want to get to know them better.”

Asahi was sure his skin was going to start blistering from the heat of his blush.

“Well why would he want to get to know me? I haven’t said anything interesting since we met!”

“First of all, I doubt that,” Daich said, matter-of-factly, “seeing as you are a very interesting person once you start talking. I assume you did talk to him today?”

Asahi simply glared at his best friend, who threw his hands up in appeasement.

“Just asking! Anyway, even if you didn’t say anything interesting… Which I know you did! But even if you didn’t, you’re an easy ten. He probably stopped breathing when he met you and couldn’t wait to find an excuse to ask you out.”

“Daichiiiiii!” Asahi whined, covering his face again to hide while wishing he could just evaporate.

“What? I’m right. You’re the full package my dude. Tall, dark, and handsome.”

Asahi couldn’t bear to talk about himself any longer than necessary, so he immediately tried to change the course of their conversation. “Okay, whatever, but you don’t understand, Daichi. He’s literally perfect. He’s so tiny and cute and sweet and when he talks he’s just so bright and full of life and he always knows exactly what to say. He loves his job with the kids and he seems like he must be so good with them and he’s so cool and he goes for runs really early in the morning and he likes to work out which I mean obviously if you have a look at him his muscles are perfect and I really just don’t know what to do because I just met him but I think I might actually already be in love with him which is totally crazy because that definitely doesn’t happen to people in real life but here I am so obviously I’m nuts and I should just cancel seeing him tomorrow morning before he realizes that I am literally insane.”

Asahi gasped for air once he finished his frenzied tirade, chest heaving now that his feelings were all out in the open for Daichi to know. When Daichi didn’t say anything in response, Asahi peeked out between his fingers.

Only to see Daichi grinning like an absolute _madman._

“Asahi! Oh my gosh!”

“What?!”

“I am stunned. Thrilled. Over the moon. First of all, you are _not_ under any circumstances allowed to cancel your date with him tomorrow. What’s his name?”

“Noya…” Asahi mumbled.

“Right. You are going to go out and get coffee with Noya tomorrow morning, and you are going to make sure to ask him to coffee on Friday morning as well if he doesn’t ask first! You obviously like him, and if he’s asked you out for coffee twice now he also obviously likes you.”

Asahi moved to argue, but Daichi quickly cut him off before he could start.

“And, I think, if your date tomorrow goes well and things go smoothly on Friday too that you should ask to see him this weekend!”

“What!? That’s way too fast!” Asahi cried, eyes wide with panic.

Daichi simply crossed his arms across his chest. “I don’t think so. I mean, you guys are obviously hitting it off and it’s great that you’re getting coffee together before work, but I think it’s totally reasonable to ask to see him during your down time on the weekend if you’re interested in him.”

When Asahi started breathing heavily, leaning toward hyperventilation, Daichi raised his hands to placate his best friend.

“Or, you can just take things a little more slowly! If you don’t want to see him over the weekend, just text him something nice to let him know that you’re thinking of him or something, we can figure that out together later if you want.” Daichi shifted so that he was sitting closer to Asahi on the couch, facing him and looking him directly in the eye. “Look, all I’m saying is, it’s obvious that you like him, and I think you should pursue a relationship with him if that’s what you want! You can take things at your own pace, but from what I’ve heard he definitely likes you.”

Asahi sighed, cocking his head to the side to stare at the floor. His furious blush had calmed down as Daichi reassured him, but his cheeks still retained a light pink dusting. “I mean, I do want to see him this weekend. I just… I don’t want to move too quickly because I don’t want to scare him away, and also, you know me. I don’t want to move too quickly in general, I’m too anxious for that.”

Daichi clapped his hand on his friend’s shoulder, rubbing it in small circles to soothe him. “I know, big guy. It’s totally normal to be nervous and to want to take things slowly. And that’s okay if you want to slow things down a little! If Noya really likes you like I’m sure he does, he’ll be happy to take things at your pace. I just don’t want you to give up on yourself, okay?”

Asahi paused, holding his breath, then nodded in agreement.

“Yeah, okay.”

Daichi’s face lit up with a brilliant smile. “Great! Now, I’m going to call Suga and order takeout because by God we are celebrating your first date in eons!”

Asahi immediately cried out in protest, trying in vain to wrestle Daichi’s phone away from him before he could call his boyfriend. He couldn’t bring himself to put his energy into the fight though, because he truly was thrilled to see where his dates with Noya might lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Their coffee date is... sweet


	4. It Had to be You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies, I am finally off hiatus! It was killing me to not have time for this fic these past few months, but now I am a free human with more control over my own schedule! I don't want to make promises that updates will come regularly from now on, but ideally there won't be months-long gaps anymore! This chapter also puts us at past the halfway point for this lil story, how exciting! Please enjoy, and let me know what you think! 
> 
> <3, Calamity

“Asahi! Good morning!” 

Asahi flinched and whirled around, nearly spilling two cups of coffee all over himself. His reciprocal _“Good morning, Noya!”_ choked and died on his tongue when he caught sight of the smaller boy bounding toward him, all smiles and unfiltered eagerness. Instead, Asahi catalogued everything about how Noya looked that morning, from the rumples in his vibrant camp counselor’s shirt to the light flush across the tops of his cheeks and nose from negligent use of sunscreen the day before. 

“Oh, is it going to be a long day for you?” Noya teased, pointing to the coffees now clenched tightly in Asahi’s grip. 

_Get it together, Asahi! Stop staring at his perfect eyelashes and his perfect laugh and that perfect little wrinkle in his nose when he smiles and the peek of his tan line when he tilts his head and-_

“Uh, no, um, well, it’ll just be another day of lifeguarding for me!” Asahi said, cringing internally at the way his words tripped and stumbled out of his mouth, “I got here a little earlier than I thought I would, so I went ahead and ordered for you as well. I hope I got it right!” 

“Is that so?” Noya said, reaching out for his cup, “Well, there’s only one way to find out.”

Noya pressed the drink to his lips, taking a tentative sip of the hot coffee. The smaller boy held eye contact with Asahi, brows raised mischievously behind the steam. Asahi felt a slight tremor in his hands and heat climbing up his face as he fixated on the way Noya’s lips gripped his coffee cup. They looked so soft and plush where they touched the cup, moist from the steam and flushed pink from the heat. He couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to press his lips to Noya’s, if they would taste like cinnamon and caramel from his coffee, if they were as soft as they looked?

“Mmm, it’s perfect!” Noya said with a grin, “Did you ask for extra whipped cream?” 

Asahi choked out a nervous laugh, rubbing the back of his neck. “No, but I must have looked like a wreck ordering our drinks. I had to try three times to get your order right… The girl probably just felt bad for me and made our drinks a little extra nice.” 

Noya’s delighted laughter immediately eased the tension that had been building up in Asahi’s shoulders upon remembering his all-too-awkward encounter with the barista. “Well if that’s all it takes to get your coffee spruced up a little bit, I’ll just have to have you order my drinks from now on!” Noya practically chirped, knocking his arm playfully into Asahi’s as they started their walk to the park. 

Asahi’s heart gave yet another thrilled jump in his chest. Noya’s strain of cheerfulness seemed more virulent than anyone he’d ever known, infecting anyone in the vicinity almost instantly. Though he listened diligently to Noya as he recounted interesting snippets from work the day before and greatly exaggerated (probably… hopefully?) the details of some prank he had pulled on Tanaka last night, Asahi couldn’t help but take notice of the people they walked past on their way to the park. 

Mothers pushing along strollers cast fond looks Noya’s way, couples walking hand-in-hand shared knowing looks, and children put a little extra bounce in their step as they skipped past. Evidently, no one was immune to his chipper attitude. Asahi made sure to make the appropriate encouraging or impressed noises as Noya chattered away, but he found himself focusing intently on the smaller boy’s mouth once more. 

Noya’s mouth was so small, fitting his pixie-like build perfectly. His smile was so bright and genuine, yet so far Asahi hadn’t seen it without a little mischievous twist. His lips looked incredibly soft, and just the right shape to slot perfectly against-

“Whoa, careful!” 

Asahi skidded to a halt as Noya wrapped his little hand around Asahi’s elbow, tugging him to a stop. In his obsessive cataloguing of all the little details about Noya’s lips, Asahi had ceased to pay attention to where he was walking. One more step forward and he would have pushed his bike right into a fire hydrant.

With a nervous chuckle, Asahi carefully steered his bike around the hydrant. He didn’t miss the fact that Noya held onto his arm for a few moments longer than strictly necessary. 

“Sorry about that,” Asahi said, “I guess I got a little distracted.” 

“Oh?” Noya said with a grin, “What’s got you so off-guard?”

Asahi scrambled for an excuse, frantic to come up with anything other than _I’m obsessed with your perfect little mouth and I’m desperate to know how it would feel against mine._

“Uh, well, I guess it’s just that… Well, I was trying to decide how Daichi would react if I pulled that prank on him. He’d probably go down like a sack of bricks, but I don’t think that would buy me a long enough head start to get out of dodge before he could kill me for it.” 

Noya’s grin stayed firmly in place, though Asahi could swear it took on a more knowing curl. “Yeah, Tanaka’s usually only upset for a little bit when I prank him. He’s either too impressed with my ingenuity or busy plotting his next move against me to really be mad. I probably wouldn’t be brave enough to prank Daichi either, he sounds pretty intimidating.” 

And just like that, Noya carried the conversation back from the edge of Asahi-induced disaster, with the skill of someone who’d known him for years rather than days. Though relief coursed through him, Asahi knew he was in deep, deep trouble with this boy. 

 

✦✦✦

 

Asahi is sure he’s never walked so slowly through the park, and yet he and Noya reach the fork in the path where they must part ways all too soon. It’s oddly quiet for a Friday morning, he realizes. They haven’t had to move out of the way of any joggers. No curious dogs have pulled their owners along for the chance to sniff at their ankles. They haven’t even seen any squirrels chasing each other up the trees. As they slowed their pace to a near-standstill, their conversation too dropped off. The only noise was the gentle rustling of leaves overhead. The light breeze tugged at Asahi’s hair, still loose around his shoulders. He scrunches his nose as his hair tickles across his face, earning a giggle from Noya. 

“Do you want to stop and pull your hair back? The wind’s picking up a bit, I wonder if it’s going to rain?”

Asahi leapt at the chance to stall for more time with Noya, toeing at his kickstand to free his hands as they came to a stop. 

“I guess I wouldn’t mind if it did rain,” Asahi said, carding his fingers through his hair to fight out some of the tangles, “But only if we get a little bit of thunder, too. Rain’s a lot less stressful at the pool when I get to make the kids sit out for a while.” 

Noya laughed along, but Asahi took note of the way his gaze shifted to Asahi’s arms as he raised them to pull back his hair. Though he could feel his cheeks heating up under Noya’s attention, Asahi silently thanked Daichi profusely for constantly dragging him along to the gym. He might have flexed a little more than strictly necessary for tying up his hair, and perhaps he took a little longer than he normally would, but Noya didn’t seem to mind at all. 

Thoughts of _What am I doing??_ and _Oh my God he’s going to think I’m so full of myself_ looped through Asahi’s mind, and yet he couldn’t help but to throw in a little stretch over his head once his hair was secured. Though he couldn’t believe himself for near preening in front of Noya, the almost hungry look in Noya’s eyes and the quick swipe of his tongue across those delicate little lips was definitely worth it. 

With no idea what to say, but no desire to part ways, Asahi glanced at his watch. He groaned at the time. He desperately wanted to stay with Noya, but they each had only a few minutes left to spare if they were going to be on time to work. 

“Well, I guess I’d better head over to the pool,” Asahi admitted with a sigh, slowly turning to grab his bike handles. 

“Asahi, wait,” Noya said, clutching at Asahi’s wrist in an uncharacteristically flustered motion. Asahi felt his chest constrict, unable to pull in any air as Noya clearly collected himself, loosening his grip on Asahi’s wrist to trail his fingers up to rest gently on his forearm. Noya’s signature coy grin spread itself across his elfin features, though a slight blush remained stubbornly across his cheeks. 

“I think I forgot to thank you for buying me coffee earlier,” Noya whispered, his voice a few tones darker than Asahi had ever heard it. The sound sent chills racing up his spine, prickling along his arms as Noya stepped a little further into Asahi’s space. 

“Oh, um, well, you really don’t have to-”

“Asahi, can I kiss you?” 

Asahi’s heart stopped, and his hearing cut out for a moment in shock. As Noya’s request processed, Asahi’s heart kicked back into gear, rapidly picking up speed to set his face on fire and put a tremble in his fingers. 

Noya took a hesitant step back, shoulders curling in slightly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to freak you out or anything, I just-”

Asahi threw up his hands to stop Noya’s apology. “Please, Noya, don’t worry. It’s not that. I just, well, I guess I was just surprised because I thought I was the only one…”

Noya’s signature grin immediately slipped back into place. “You thought you were the only one who what?” He asked, cocking his head to the side, hands on his hips.

Asahi groaned. “Please, just kiss me before I keep making myself look stupid.”

And just like that, Noya pressed his hands to Asahi’s chest, gently tugging on his shirt to pull him closer. As Noya stood up on his toes, eager to close the distance between their lips, Asahi found himself instinctively wrapping his arm around the smaller boy, pressing his hand between Noya’s shoulder blades to help him balance. Asahi’s entire body was thrumming with nerves, and as Noya’s lips met his own, all coherent thought left his brain. He’d been obsessing over those lips for the better part of the morning, and somehow the kiss was still better than he could ever have imagined. 

_Oh my God he’s so little and perfect and soft and warm and he tastes like cinnamon I was right I’m never buying him any other kind of coffee and I could literally just pick him up right now and-_

Asahi broke their kiss with a little gasp, clutching a little tighter to Noya’s shirt as he tried furiously to banish the embarrassing and entirely inappropriate thoughts that were flooding his brain. Noya rocked back onto his heels, but left his hands where they were braced against Asahi. 

“I guess I have to get going,” Noya whispered, motionless.

“Yeah.”

“Wouldn’t wanna be late to work.”

“No.”

“I’d rather just kiss you.”

Asahi barely managed to disguise what was nearly a whimper ( _Oh my God you absolute moron get it together!_ ) as a hum of agreement. Neither of them had moved, each continuing to clutch gently at the other, unwilling to break the moment. 

Noya is the first to shift, slowly dragging his fingertips down Asahi’s arms and stepping impossibly closer, so they’re pressed chest to chest ( _Practically chest to stomach oh my God how is he so little_ ). 

“Asahi, I know we basically just met each other, but I really like you. I’d like to see you this weekend.”

“Yeah, me too,” Asahi all but croaked. His brain was still humming, and he struggled with all his might to not just lean back down and kiss Noya again. 

“So, movies tomorrow night?”

“That sounds perfect,” Asahi managed to choke out. 

Noya let out a breathy laugh, a blush still high on his cheeks despite his clear effort to pull his suave facade back on. He finally stepped back out of Asahi’s half-embrace, grinning like a cat. 

“I’d better run before my coworkers send out a search party. I’ll text you later!”

Asahi watched as Noya spun on his heel and trotted down the path toward the volleyball courts. Once he was out of sight, Asahi grabbed his bike and started pushing it slowly toward the rack outside the pool fence. Though his heart was singing, he couldn’t help but drag his feet as his brain raced to think of a way to text his best friend and ask if it was too early for him to already be so hopelessly in love.

 

✦✦✦

 

_Why does Daichi always let me get away with leaving so early for everything. Isn’t he supposed to be my friend? Doesn’t he care about me at all? He has to know I’m about to spend half an hour pacing and freaking out while I wait for Noya. What am I gonna do, I’m gonna be so sweaty and gross by the time he gets here, he’s gonna take one look at me and just turn around because who wants to go on a date with a giant sweat monster?? Daichi! What kind of friend lets their friend-_

Asahi’s panicked internal monologue was instantly derailed when he looked up from the sidewalk, only to be replaced with an entirely different brand of nerves. Dwarfed in front of one of the large “coming soon” posters lined up outside the theater was Noya. Asahi stopped in his tracks, equal parts too nervous to approach Noya just yet and not wanting to miss an opportunity to admire Noya for a few moments without having to nervously avoid eye contact.

The shorter boy was enthralled by the poster in front of him, and even from so far away Asahi could tell he was practically buzzing with excitement. Asahi found it endearing that Noya was able to so shamelessly express his joy in front of passing strangers, bouncing up slightly on his toes and reaching up with his phone to take a picture of the poster. Even more distracting though, was Noya’s outfit. He was wearing some kind of volleyball fan jersey with a tapered fit, pulling tight against his shoulders and waist as he stretched toward the poster. The shirt nicely showed off his trim figure, emphasizing just how small he was compared to Asahi. Asahi definitely appreciated the shirt, but his heart had things to say about the jeans. The dark denim hugged Noya’s ass beautifully, and displayed the tight curves of his thighs and calves as he rolled up onto his toes. 

_Oh my God I should just turn around right now before he sees me and finally realizes that he is way out of my league, I’ll just text him and tell him I’m sick and dying and he’ll probably never see me again and I’m sorry I couldn’t come to the movies and he’ll forget about me and I’ll die alone because I’ll never find anyone as-_

“Hey, you’re here early too!” 

Asahi shrieked internally (he hoped) at the sound of Noya’s bright voice calling to him from down the sidewalk. As the smaller boy ran toward him he let out a sigh of defeat, unclenching his fists as his plans of slipping away silently were foiled by Noya’s vigilance. 

“Hey Noya, what’re you doing here early?” Asahi asked, slipping his hands into his pockets to hide their tremoring. _Really, I should probably call the police. It’s probably illegal to be so disarmingly handsome. He’s a danger to the public, honestly._

“Ah, well I was actually at dinner with Tanaka and our friend Ennoshita. They’re hitting the clubs tonight so like the responsible friend that I am I wanted to make sure they didn’t head out on empty stomachs. I just came straight here after, I thought it would be silly to head back home first.” 

Asahi nodded along as Noya talked, though it was hard to concentrate on what the smaller boy was saying. The marquis lighting from the theater’s carefully decorated facade cast a warm amber glow across Noya’s face. The bronze kiss of a summer tan and sun-pinked cheeks paired well with the lively gleam in Noya’s eye and proved incredibly distracting. He didn’t seem to have gelled his hair back quite so vigorously as usual, giving it a softer, more relaxed look. A louder-than-usual piece of Asahi’s brain was torn between wanting to card his fingers through the thick, black locks and wanting to catch one of Noya’s hands as he flourished them in sync with his speech. 

“Anyway, why are you here so early?” Noya asked, “I hope you weren’t planning on stealing my thunder by buying our tickets!” 

Noya laughed as Asahi spluttered and waved his hands. “No, no! I would never! I just decided to take the earlier train because I was worried the next one would be running late, since it’s Saturday night. That’s all, I swear!” 

“Don’t worry about it,” Noya soothed, trailing a fingertip down Asahi’s chest to give him a light poke in the stomach. “You’ll just have to find other ways to impress me. Although, I must admit, you’re already doing a good job of that. Has anyone ever told you you clean up nice?”

Asahi looked down at his outfit, doing his best to keep his breathing under control and think about anything other than Noya’s gentle touch. “Oh, Daichi’s boyfriend picked this out for me,” he explained, voice a little breathier than he would have liked. “Suga says my hair and height already make me look kind of scary, so I might as well lean into it a little bit.” 

Uncomfortable under Noya’s scrutiny, Asahi tugged at one of his sleeves and brushed his hands over the front of his pants, but there was nothing to fix. Suga had seen to that. There wasn’t a single wrinkle in his army-green utility pants ( _Asahi you literally have to wear these or I will never forgive you, your thighs look sinfully good in them and boy do not even get me started on what they do for your ass_ ) and his black v-neck was too tight across his chest and arms to slip out of place ( _You could kill a man in more ways than one with those arms, Asahi, we have to show them off_ ). The ensemble as a whole left little to the imagination, emphasizing Asahi’s strong, borderline military physique.

Noya let out a distracted little hum. “I wouldn’t say you look scary,” he mused, “But my compliments to Suga.” Noya grinned, raking his eyes up and down Asahi’s body once more. “He definitely knows what he’s doing.”

Asahi chuckled, nervously rubbing the back of his neck. “I’ll let him know you approve. Not that it will matter to him anyway, he knows he’s good at what he does.” Eager to deflect attention away from himself, Asahi gestured to the poster behind Noya. “So, you’re excited for that movie? I saw you looking at the poster before.” 

Noya let out a half-yelp of excitement, whirling back toward the poster. “Oh my gosh, you have no idea!” He grabbed Asahi’s hand, dragging him along toward where it hung on the wall. Asahi tried futilely to ignore the way Noya’s hand fit around his own, how small and soft it was in comparison, how the pressure of his fingers sent shivers through his body. 

“Oh, is this a sequel to something?” Asahi asked, reading the movie title. “I’ve never heard of it.”

Noya’s mouth fell open in shock, fingers tightening around Asahi’s hand. “How have you never heard of it?” He asked, disbelief coloring his tone, “It’s only part of the greatest action film franchise to ever grace this earth!”

Asahi shrugged, careful not to disturb Noya’s grip on his hand. He really didn’t want him to let go. “Sorry, I guess it looks a little familiar, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen it. Should I?”

Instantly, Noya’s shock fell away, only to be replaced with a coy grin. “Oh, I can’t possibly carry on in good conscience knowing that you haven’t been exposed to these movies. It would be a moral failing on my part not to introduce you to them. Lucky for you, I own all five movies leading up to this one.” 

“There are five of them?!” 

“Yep, soon to be six! There’s a month still until this next one comes out. If we work hard, we can get through all of them in time for me to take you to see this one!” 

Asahi couldn’t help but grin at Noya’s enthusiasm, though he had to fight to repress a twinge of anxiety for whatever else Noya might be insinuating alongside his offer. 

“Well,” Asahi said, “We’d better head in if we want to see the movie we came for tonight.” He felt a little bad for breezing right past whatever conversation Noya was trying to lure him into, especially when Noya’s sly grin faltered a bit. But Asahi wasn’t quite ready to entertain any thoughts of being alone in an apartment with Noya. It was one thing to kiss Noya before work or admire his body from a distance, and another thing entirely to imagine Noya-

“Yeah, you’re right. Besides, if we get in there now we might get to see a trailer for this movie,” Noya said, gesturing at the poster beside them, “And I can’t think of a better way to convince you to watch the rest of them with me than that!”

Asahi laughed, the tension rolling off of him as they started walking toward the entrance and away from any dangerous thoughts. “I’m not saying I don’t want to watch them with you, just that that’s an awful lot of movies for one action franchise. Anyway, what kind of snacks would you like? I’ll go ahead and grab them while you buy our tickets.”

“Oh, just pick out whatever you think would taste good,” Noya said with a wink. “I’ll wait for you by the ticket taker guy!” Before Asahi could object or stutter out a plea to just tell him what kinds of snacks he actually enjoyed, the little troublemaker was trotting off toward the ticket sales booth. And just like that, Asahi’s mind was racing back to dangerous thoughts, with little hope of returning unscathed.

 

✦✦✦

 

Noya made it about ten minutes into the movie before he found it impossible to pay attention any longer. His focus kept drifting to the stunning boy sitting right next to him, high up in the back of the theater. Though his shoulders were a little tight, Asahi looked mostly relaxed in his seat. His long legs, phenomenal in his utility-style pants, stretched out in front of him, crossed nonchalantly at the ankles. One arm lay over his abdomen, pulling his already tight shirt flush against his chest. He had propped up his other elbow on the arm rest and tucked his fist under his jaw so that Noya had a largely unrestricted view of that perfect face. 

Asahi was watching the movie intently, unconsciously worrying his bottom lip between his teeth. Noya licked his own lips, remembering the feel of Asahi pressed close to him yesterday morning in the park. The memory of Asahi’s enormous hand spread across his back was seared into his skin, called back to the front of his mind with little effort. Noya let his thoughts wander further from the movie, choosing instead to entertain the idea of Asahi wrapping his hands around Noya’s hips. The man was so much bigger than him, and he looked so _strong_ , like if he let himself go unchecked those hands could grip Noya’s hips with bruising force. Noya’s heart stuttered at the thought, and he steered away from the image of Asahi’s fingers digging into his skin before he could let himself get out of control. 

Instead, he focused his attention back on Asahi’s lips. God, Noya desperately wanted to kiss him. Of course, he had encouraged Asahi to head up to this spot in the back of the theater for that very reason, but it was one thing to want to kiss someone and another thing entirely to make it happen. Normally, Noya would be hesitant to take initiative in such matters. In past relationships, he had always been enthusiastic, but content to let his partner take the lead. Now, however, Ryuu’s advice was knocking around inside Noya’s head. Thinking of Asahi as a summer fling had given Noya a new and exhilarating kind of confidence. What was the harm in racing into things a little faster than he normally would, or pushing things in the direction he wanted to go rather than wait to see where the wind would take him?

Noya, in his typical manner, had finished off his snacks and drink before the movie even started. Desperate to kiss Asahi again, Noya quickly threw a plan together and instantly began working to see it through. He started by reaching out and gently pressing his hand to Asahi’s _deliciously_ firm arm.

Being so focused on the screen, Asahi startled a bit under Noya’s touch. Noya suppressed a chuckle as Asahi straightened himself up a bit in his seat, turning slightly to see what Noya wanted from him.

“Do you mind if I have a drink of your soda?” Noya whispered. He kept his voice low, but there were so few other people in the theater he probably could have asked in his normal tone without disturbing anyone. 

“Oh, um, yes! Of course!” Asahi stammered, gesturing to the cupholder between them, “Take whatever you want!”

Noya flashed the nervous giant a winning smile, humming contentedly as he reached for a sip. Though his body was still angled toward the movie, Noya kept a surreptitious watch on Asahi out of the corner of his eye. Just as he hoped, he had broken Asahi’s concentration on the film altogether. Now Asahi’s gaze kept slipping from the screen to Noya, meaning it was time to slide into Phase Two.

Conveniently for Noya and his scheming, Asahi had stashed his candy in his other cupholder, just out of reach. Noya put on a confident half-smile as he shifted in his seat, moving closer to Asahi. He kept his eyes focused on the candy across from him, but he could tell his date was watching his every move. 

“Sorry, Asahi,” Noya whispered, letting a slight rasp color his voice, “It’s just been so long since I’ve had this kind, I can’t resist!” As he reached out for the candy, Noya was careful to press as much of side into Asahi’s arm as possible. He fumbled with the packet for a moment, feigning clumsiness to extend the amount of time he could stay tucked close to Asahi’s warmth. It was hard to detect over the thrumming of his own skin at the contact, but Noya delighted in the slight shudder that rolled down Asahi’s body. 

Finally grabbing the candy, Noya remained pressed close to Asahi, pouring a few pieces into his palm. Setting the box aside, Noya picked up each piece of candy one at a time, carefully slipping each one into his mouth. Asahi, normally so reluctant to maintain eye contact, was enraptured. 

“Thanks for sharing,” Noya purred, loving the way Asahi’s breathing was picking up, the way his breath would hitch each time Noya licked his lips. 

Asahi’s faint “You’re welcome,” came out like the croak of a man dying of thirst in the hot desert sun. Well, if Asahi was thirsty, Noya was more than happy to give him a drink. Phase Three.

“Asahi?”

“Hmm?”

“I’m having trouble paying attention to this movie.” Noya shifted impossibly closer to Asahi, coiled tighter than a spring as his plan fell into endgame. 

Asahi cleared his throat, but didn’t move away. “Oh, well, if you don’t like it, then maybe we could-”

“Please, let me kiss you?”

Chills raced down Noya’s spine at the near whimper that escaped past Asahi’s lips. As his date managed to choke out a “God, yes,” Noya gently tangled his fingers into Asahi’s hair. It was soft and warm, tickling Noya’s hand as he cupped his hand just behind Asahi’s ear to draw him in closer. Asahi’s eyes closed under Noya’s touch, his face soft and open in spite of the tension in his shoulders.

Noya let his own eyes slip shut as he pressed his lips to Asahi’s, soft and parted and so inviting. He fought back a groan as Asahi clutched at his waist, marvelling at the way Asahi’s hand was able to wrap around so much of his body. He was enormous, and surely he could snap Noya in half without breaking a sweat if he so chose. And yet, the giant was so cautious, almost shy in the way he let Noya take the lead in their kiss. 

And what kind of leader would Noya be if he didn’t make it fun for Asahi to follow?

Eager to explore, Noya sucked lightly on Asahi’s bottom lip. Asahi let out a soft gasp, tugging a little harder at Noya’s shirt to keep him close. Noya grinned and carried on with his ministrations, altering between gentle nibbles and light swipes of his tongue along Asahi’s lips. Noya adored the warmth of Asahi’s chest hugged tight against his own, the light scratch of stubble against his skin. Asahi was keeping up easily with Noya’s pace, seeming perfectly comfortable with the way Noya moved. 

Noya was the first to have to pull back slightly, panting for air. Asahi, short of breath as well, pressed his forehead to Noya’s to allow him a moment to recover. Noya didn’t rest long though, eager to carry on. He pressed his next kiss to Asahi’s cheekbone, feeling Asahi’s cheek tighten into a smile beneath his lips. Noya hummed with satisfaction, then pulled tighter at Asahi’s hair to tilt his head to the side. Asahi’s breath caught in his throat as his neck was exposed, only to be let out in a nearly inaudible groan as Noya sucked kisses along his jawline. 

Noya nipped gently at the delicate skin just below Asahi’s ear, eager to draw more noises from his date under the cover of dim theater lighting and the movie playing in the background. He certainly got what he wanted as Asahi released a gentle moan, but more than he bargained for when Asahi’s hand slipped down from Noya’s waist to grab firmly at his hip. Noya couldn’t hold back a throaty gasp, thrilled by the barely restrained strength in Asahi’s grip.

Noya, spurred on by Asahi’s clear approval, lightly scraped his teeth down the length of Asahi’s throat. The sensation elicited goosebumps from his date, but Noya was quick to replace the chilling drag of his teeth with the warmth of his tongue as he went back to kissing and sucking just above the collar of Asahi’s shirt. 

Asahi’s breath was coming in desperate pants, so that when he pulled back Noya thought for a moment he might need a break from the attention. However, Asahi was quick to catch Noya’s lips with his own, drawing him back into a kiss as he rubbed his thumb along Noya’s hipbone. 

Noya felt a burning heat rising throughout his body, moving through him to pool in his stomach as he and Asahi continued nipping and sucking, catching each other’s gasps and pulling whatever noises they could from each other. He couldn’t help but shift his hips in Asahi’s grip, needing to be as close to the larger man as possible. 

The next time they broke their kiss, both quietly gasping for air, Noya spoke up. 

“Asahi, I have a question for you,” he murmured under his breath, whispering into the reddening skin of Asahi’s throat. 

“Yes, Noya?” Asahi asked, the low rumble of his voice only fueling Noya’s desire.

“Do you want to go back to my place?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next time: Noya has Feelings


	5. Beginning to Care

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey friends, sorry this is a little later than I intended! We had a bit of a health scare in my family and I was a nervous wreck for a while. Everything's good now though, and I hope y'all enjoy this chapter! If you can find it in your heart to comment please do, I love hearing from you guys!
> 
> <3, Calamity

There are three things of which Noya is absolutely certain.

One: Asahi is borderline cowering, scrunched up against the other side of his chair. His shoulders are tense, hands covering his mouth, and eyes white with panic. The space between them is cold, a jarring contrast to the heat emanating from Asahi, so close to Noya only moments ago.

Two: Noya’s face is hot. His hands are clenched into tight fists and pressed against his knees to quell their shaking. A sharp, prickling heat behind his eyes forewarns burning, embarrassed tears if he can’t get his thoughts and breathing under control.

Three: He just ruined everything.

“Asahi, oh my God I am so sorry, I’m so sorry.” Noya somehow manages to force his apology out around the massive lump forming in the back of his throat. His eyes are still stinging, dammit he is  _ not  _ going to cry.  

“I didn’t mean to freak you out I swear, I just thought… I don’t know, I didn’t think. I’m sorry. I messed up, and I’m sorry.” A million thoughts race through Noya’s head, getting in the way of his ability to form a coherent apology. What should he even say? Is there anything he can say? He obviously screwed up, or Asahi wouldn’t look like a rabbit cornered by a ravenous fox. God damn it, he should never have listened to Ryuu. How delusional was he that he really thought he would be able to do this? 

Noya had no idea how much time had passed between now and the moment he asked Asahi to go home with him. But, Asahi seemed to be getting his breathing under control. His shoulders seemed slightly more relaxed, and he finally moved his hands away from his mouth. “No, Noya, you’re fine. It’s fine. This isn’t your fault.” 

The larger man closed his eyes and took a deep, steadying breath. Noya cocked his head a little in confusion, not taking his eyes off of Asahi for a second. Questions started piling up on the tip of his tongue, but he clamped his jaw tight against them. 

“I just… I wasn’t really prepared… No, ugh! Why am I so bad at this?” Asahi rasps, barely cutting through the droning of the movie.

“It’s okay,” Noya whispered, voice hoarse with his continued effort to not let his embarrassment consume him so entirely he burst into tears, “Just say it. It’s okay.” 

Asahi started nervously fidgeting with his fingers, subconsciously bouncing his leg as he tried to work out what to say. Noya desperately wanted to reach out and touch him, to soothe away his anxiety. Without knowing where he currently stood with Asahi though, he didn’t want to risk making his discomfort worse. So he kept grasping at his knees, knuckles white, and waited.

“I like you. A lot.” Asahi finally admitted. “I really do. And God, I love kissing you. But I’m just… I’m not ready to go past that. I just can’t… I’m not the kind of person who can take things so fast. I’m sorry, I didn’t want to mess this up, but I’m such a loser I just-”

“You’re not a loser!” Noya whispered, almost a hiss. “Please, please, please do not talk about yourself like that.” Noya reached out with one of his hands, gently grasping at the armrest between them. He didn’t want to overstep into Asahi’s space without his permission, but he desperately needed to close the gap between them. 

Asahi bit his lip, effectively ending his spiral of self-beratement. His posture remained tense, but now it seemed that he was awaiting whatever Noya would say next rather than poised to run out of the theater.

“You didn’t mess anything up,” Noya emphasized carefully, “I was moving too fast, and I’m sorry. I never want you to feel uncomfortable.” Noya allowed a hesitant little grin to spread across his face. “I’m more than okay with taking things at your pace.”

With Noya’s assurance, Asahi seemed to relax even further. He was still a bit guarded, however, as he asked Noya if he was sure that was okay. “It’s fine if you aren’t okay with it,” he murmured, “I understand if you’d rather just move on.” 

“I promise, it’s totally fine!” Noya reiterated. He glanced to the movie screen for the first time in what felt like hours. He had absolutely no idea what was happening anymore, or how long there might be left. “Anyway,” he said, turning back to his date, “It looks like we missed a lot of the movie. Do you wanna bail with me and go get an ice cream or something?”

Asahi smiled, shyly reaching out to take Noya’s hand in his own. “Yeah,” he whispered, “I’d like that.”

Noya beamed, feeling in his heart that the sudden rift between them was quickly mending. He reached up with his free hand, gently tapping twice on Asahi’s cheek. “Can I kiss you?” he breathed.

Asahi nodded his consent, so Noya shifted closer and stretched up to place a chaste kiss on Asahi’s cheek. He felt Asahi’s face tighten into a smile under his lips.

Maybe he wasn’t such a screw-up after all.

 

✦✦✦

 

Cool light filtered through dark clouds and wet glass deepens the soft shadows in Noya’s living room. He’s curled tightly into the corner of his couch, cheek squished hard enough into the armrest that the texture of the fabric will surely be etched into his face. His cozy oversized sweatshirt is big enough to completely engulf his hands, but he hooks one finger out to swirl lazy patterns along the ridges and valleys of the upholstery. Rather than check his phone yet again for messages that won’t be there, he watches fat droplets of rain slide down the windows and listens to the rumbling of thunder in the distance, a stark change from the maelstrom earlier in the morning.

The violent storm had cancelled all camps and activities at the park. No pool and no volleyball meant no morning walk to work for Noya and Asahi, a ritual they hadn’t broken since they’d met over two weeks ago. Noya hadn’t realized quite how much he enjoyed and looked forward to his pre-work coffee dates with Asahi until he found himself sighing and moping on his couch all day over missing it. He’d made himself coffee with the new pot Tanaka had brought home from work earlier in the week, but his mug sat untouched on the coffee table all morning. 

The loud slam of the front door being thrown open startled Noya as the noise cut through the calm stillness he’d been sulking in all morning. 

“Ryuu, what the hell!” Noya yelped, clutching his chest as his best friend flopped face down onto the couch beside him. “I almost had a flippin’ heart attack, you asshole!”

Tanaka only groaned into the couch cushions in response, throwing an arm up to pat Noya on the knee for good measure.

Noya narrowed his eyes at his best friend before reaching out and gently but aggressively patting him on the head rapid-fire. The couch muffled Tanaka’s offended scoff as he continued to refuse to lift his head, despite awkwardly flailing his arms to try and fend off Noya’s swats. Despite Tanaka’s attempts at resistance, Noya persisted until he let out an aggravated huff. The larger boy finally peeled his face out of the cushions, only to grab Noya by the wrist to push his hand away. 

“Fine, fine, I give already, jeez!” Tanaka griped, rolling onto his back to throw one leg over the back of the couch and one leg onto the floor, arms dropped to match. “I apologize for startling you, my sweet little mouse,” he crooned, tone dripping with sarcasm. 

Noya simply clicked his tongue, ignoring Tanaka in favor of gazing out the window once more. Tanaka half-heartedly swiped at Noya’s head, gently cuffing his ear to get his attention. “Hey man, what’s got you so gloomy? I would kill to be able to stay home from work all day, I’m frickin’ sick of these ass-early shifts. I don’t know what I did to my manager to deserve first shift this whole week,” he whined. 

Tanaka’s griping finally earned him a little chuckle from his best friend, followed by Noya reluctantly uncurling himself from his couch corner. “Alright, alright,” Noya said, “Sorry for snapping at you. I guess it is nice that I got to stay in today, but honestly I would rather have been able to go to work.”

Tanaka raised an eyebrow, shooting a pointed look at Noya. “You really like corralling those little kids all day so much that you’d mope over not getting to go hang out with them?” Tanaka barked out an ugly snort of a laugh, “Ha! Aren’t you a little young to be getting broody, ya lil’ momma hen?!” 

Without so much as a whisper of movement on the couch to alert him, Noya instantly launched himself onto Tanaka. “Shut up, you absolute moron!” Noya laughed, wrestling to pin Tanaka by his shoulders as the larger boy pulled at his cheeks in an attempt to dislodge him. 

Even with Noya’s thighs latched firmly around his ribs Tanaka managed to wheeze out teases and jabs insinuating Noya needed to settle down soon if he was going to get so nesty around the children. 

Their squabble devolved into shrieks and writhing, verbal taunts replaced with the physical threat of spit-soaked fingers shoved in ears or dangling threads of drool over each others faces, until Tanaka rolled off the couch begging for a ceasefire. 

“Ohmygod,” he gasped, clutching his sides and panting for air, “Enough already, I’m too old for this.” 

Noya rolled his eyes and chucked a pillow at him with barely enough force to even launch it over the edge of the couch. 

Tanaka took a deep, steadying breath, wiping a tear from his eye. “Ugh, anyway,” he said, propping himself up on his elbows to make eye contact with his friend, “What’s got you down, for real? Is your sexy lifeguard not giving you any action?”

Noya let out a disgruntled little huff, crossing his arms over his chest. He looked back out the window, noticing the rain had finally let up. “I don’t know,” he mumbled, “I guess I’m just upset I didn’t get to have coffee with my ‘sexy lifeguard’ this morning. We’ve met up before work pretty much every day since we met, and I guess I didn’t realize how much I liked getting to see him every day until now.” 

Tanaka cocked his head to the side and furrowed his brows in a surprisingly good approximation of a confused bulldog. “Really? I thought this dude was just a little fling,” he asked.

“Yeah well I did too, at first,” Noya admitted, pulling his hood up to sulk without having to look at his best friend. “But when I started pushing toward a hookup he kinda freaked out, and I realized that I didn’t want him to freak out, and I didn’t want to accidentally push him away by pressuring him. I actually really like him, Ryuu… I want this to be more than a fling.” 

With a roll of his shoulders to crack his neck, Tanaka heaved himself back up onto the couch next to his friend. He kicked his leg out over Noya’s lap and nestled into the pillows, putting on a sagely look. “Well, my friend,” he began in his signature advice-of-the-century tone, “If you’re looking for more than just a good dicking-down now, I think you should pursue it. You don’t need to casually bone some dude to shake the summertime-sads. It’s okay to want a relationship, and it kinda sounds like this guy might be interested. Why don’t you just ask him out?” 

Noya bounced his legs up to shake Tanaka’s leg around a bit in annoyance. “Dude, I already have asked him out, we get coffee all the time and we went to dinner and the movies again this past weekend.” 

Tanaka tsked his tongue, shaking his head sadly at the smaller boy pouting across from him. “You misunderstand me, young grasshopper. I mean you should ask him to be your boyfriend, if you like him so much.”

Noya starts spluttering, completely unprepared for Tanaka’s advice. “You can’t just say it like it’s that easy!” He retorted, pushing at the leg still draped over his lap. “I really like Asahi! Maybe he’s the one who doesn’t want to be serious. Maybe when he said he likes to take things slow that was just him trying to let me down easy and he just wants to be friends and if I ask him to be my boyfriend it will just freak him out even more and then he won’t even want to hang out with me at all and I’ll never get to see him again and-” 

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, buddy! Chill out!” Tanaka said, waving his hands to interrupt his mess of a best friend, “No need to panic!” He laughed a little to himself, then stretched before pulling himself up off the couch. “I’m gonna go pass out now. You can dance around your feelings all you want, I’m just telling you like it is. Do whatever you want, but I really think you’d be happier if you just buckled down and asked the dude if he wants to get a little more serious. Besides,” he said, lightly punching Noya in the shoulder, “Even if he does freak out, you don’t have to worry about losing a friend. You’ve got me, and I’m not accepting applications for ‘Assistant to Nishinoya Yuu’s Best Friend!” 

Noya only scowled at his best friend’s back as he walked away, burrowing deeper into his sweatshirt to keep pretending he could avoid his feelings for Asahi. 

 

✦✦✦

  
  


Two weeks later, Asahi and Noya are together for their regular coffee-and-walk-to-work date, a habit they’ve maintained religiously since the storm. They walk in comfortable silence, brushing arms and listening to the subdued sounds of morning in their quiet section of the city. Well, Asahi might be listening to the usual goings-on, but Noya is hopelessly tied up in his thoughts. With every glance he sneaks in Asahi’s direction, he takes note of the way the gentle giant has relaxed in his presence since they first met. His shoulders are loose, rolling easily as they walk along. His face is soft and open, a slight smile curling at the corners of his mouth. He no longer stutters when they talk, and Noya hasn’t noticed a tremble in his fingers since their first movie date. Plus, Asahi hasn’t panicked on a single date since, either. 

There was the night they went to the arcade, where Noya had made a stupid joke about the claw machine being a plushie prison and Asahi had doubled over laughing and gasping for air until he started crying. Noya had been frantic, worried he’d actually upset Asahi ( _ oh God what if one of his parents or brothers or something is in prison what have I done _ ), so to reassure the smaller boy Asahi had played the machine until he won a fat little plushie for him. They’d played games for hours, and Noya couldn’t help but notice the way Asahi’s eyes would wander each time he bent over a pinball machine or crouched for a free throw. At the end of the night they’d cashed in all of their tickets for a big vintage-style sweatshirt with the arcade logo on it. Asahi had been hesitant at first, worried it wouldn’t be a fair prize to share since it would only fit him properly. When Noya had pointed out that he liked to wear big sweatshirts at night because it was like having a bonus blanket, Asahi had blushed furiously and immediately taken the sweatshirt to the ticket counter. 

Then there was the night they started marathoning Noya’s favorite action movie saga in preparation for the release of the next film in the series. Noya had persuaded Asahi to come over to his apartment. Tanaka wasn’t going to be there, but he had assured Asahi they would only watch movies if that’s what he wanted to do. Asahi had agreed, and they’d spent the night huddled up on the couch with blankets and snacks. They’d made it through about two and a half movies of Noya bouncing up and down in excitement to point out his favorite parts, explaining why each actor was perfect for their role, and flawlessly quoting entire scenes. By then his energy had started flagging, and he’d fallen asleep cuddled into Asahi’s side. He’d woken up the next morning, tucked in snugly on the couch, to find the television switched off, snacks cleared away, and a nice little note on the coffee table that Tanaka had teased him for days over.

Noya had been doing everything in his power to make sure Asahi was always comfortable around him, to keep things light unless Asahi wanted otherwise. Even so, Asahi sometimes needed a little reminder of what exactly he wanted. The quiet clicking of Asahi’s bike rolling along accompanied the turning of the gears in Noya’s mind as they reach their favorite little secluded spot in the park.

“Hey Asahi, lean over, I have something I want to tell you,” Noya stage whispers, dramatically looking around with a mischievous grin on his face. 

Asahi chuckles at his antics. “Noya, there’s literally no one else around, you can just go ahead and tell me.” 

“No, no, no,” Noya insists, skipping ahead by a few steps, “Just come here so I can tell you!”

Asahi rolls his eyes good naturedly, propping his bike up on its kickstand so he can walk up to Noya. Just as he starts leaning down though, Noya skitters back a couple steps, barely managing to stifle his giggles. 

“Come on, Asahi, get over here! I don’t have all day, it’s important!” Noya teases, right at the edge of the walking path. 

Asahi narrows his eyes, but plays along. He stops right in front of the smaller boy again, leaning in close to him to hear whatever he has to say. 

“I just wanted to let you know how hot you are in your lifeguarding uniform,” Noya whispers, leaning in like he’s going to kiss Asahi. However, just before their lips meet, he changes direction and presses a feather-light kiss to Asahi’s cheek.

“Hey,” Asahi pouts, a perfect blush blooming on his cheeks, “You missed!”  

“Whoops!” Noya laughs, taking a few more steps back into the grass, “My mistake. Come here and I’ll try again!” 

“Noya, stop running away from me,” Asahi nearly whines, reaching out for the little spitfire as he gets closer. Noya simply sidesteps the touch, folding his hands behind his back and bouncing up on his toes as a means of beckinging Asahi in. Asahi’s still wearing a little frown, but he leans in again nevertheless. 

“Here you go,” Noya whispers, voice low and a little husky as he moves to close the gap between their lips. He watches as Asahi’s eyes slide shut, and again, just before their lips meet, he swerves a little off-course to plant another sweet kiss to Asahi’s other cheek. 

Asahi huffs as he opens his eyes, clearly getting a little frustrated with Noya’s antics. Noya simply throws his head back to laugh, eyes glittering with mirth as he shrugs his shoulders in an approximation of apology. “Sorry Asahi!” he giggles, “Looks like I missed again!” 

This time as Noya skips backward, Asahi matches pace with him, a frustrated but affectionate smile on his face. Noya is snickering as he leads Asahi along off the footpath, but for all his suave joking, he’s caught off guard when his heel catches on a raised root. He lets out a surprised little gasp, eyes widening as he trips and starts stumbling backwards. Asahi’s grin only grows, and for the life of him Noya can’t figure out why until  _ oh _ - 

His back is pressed into a tree, rough bark catching and scraping along his vibrant camp t-shirt. Asahi is immediately in front of him, arms thrown up and braced against the tree on either side of Noya to cage him in. There’s no hesitance in Asahi’s eye, only the sparkling delight from the thrill of ensnaring his quarry. “Looks like I got ya,” he murmured, close enough as he leans in that Noya can feel the warmth of the other’s breath on his lips. 

“Oh, so you did,” Noya breathes, heart fluttering in his chest. “How ever will I convince you to let me go?” 

Asahi tilts his head, a little bemused smile lighting up his face. “Oh, I can think of one way,” he whispers, heavy-lidded eyes sliding shut as he presses his lips to Noya’s.

Noya sighs into Asahi’s kiss with satisfaction, having gotten exactly what he wanted. He delighted in how close they were, the warmth and softness of Asahi’s mouth on his and the heat coming off the strong forearms pressed so close to his head. 

Their kiss starts off gentle, a bit like an apology from Noya for teasing Asahi so early in the morning. It’s Asahi who begins to deepen the kiss, however, taking the reparations he’s owed in insistent nips along Noya’s lips. They fall into an easy rhythm, Noya letting Asahi take the lead as they move even closer together. Noya gasps when Asahi drops one arm to push his hip firmly against the tree, effectively pinning him. Asahi hesitates for a moment, like he wants to apologize, but Noya quickly rewards Asahi taking initiative by throwing his arms around Asahi’s neck and tangling his fingers into long, soft hair. 

Instead of a lighthearted apology, they’re now in the middle of a one-sided battle. Asahi’s mouth punishes Noya’s deliciously, sucking and biting enough that Noya’s sure he’s going to get some heat from his coworkers. But Noya is so delighted by the rough attention from Asahi that he plays along with it, sighing and moaning as Asahi tightens his grip on him. Noya is just pushing up on his toes to get closer to Asahi when his watch starts beeping, signalling two minutes until the start of their respective shifts. 

Asahi groans, pulling away from Noya to catch his breath. He rests his forehead on Noya’s, loosening his grip on Noya’s hip bones to slide his hand up along the smaller boy’s back. “I don’t wanna go to work,” he grumbles, pressing a kiss to Noya’s nose, primed enough by their make out session to no longer shy away from little displays of affection. “I’d much rather stay here and kiss you all morning.”

“Mmm,” Noya hums, gently carding his fingers through Asahi’s hair, “Why don’t you come to my place tonight and you can kiss me all you want? Besides, we still have a few movies to get through before you’re ready for the premier of the newest one. Tanaka and Enno are going out for the night, so I’ll be all alone.” 

Asahi seems to tense a little at the suggestion of being alone with Noya in his apartment again, but Noya’s quick to add that they’ll both be tired from a long week of wrangling little kids and it’ll be so nice to relax on the couch and wipe out together. 

The little relaxed smile that Noya has been getting so used to seeing on Asahi appears, and the gentle giant nods. “Yeah,” he agrees, “A night in sounds good.” 

Noya starts to step back so they can head to their posts when Asahi tightens his grip on him once more. The larger boy leans in and presses one last fierce kiss against Noya’s lips. 

“I’ll see you tonight,” Asahi whispers, “And don’t you dare try to run away with my kisses again.” 

Noya watches in stunned silence as Asahi turns and grabs his bike to walk away. A manic, delighted grin spreads slowly across his face. With the ghost of Asahi’s impressive strength still electric on his hip, Noya lets himself hope, if only for a moment, that Asahi might have a little more than kissing in store for him tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Time: Asahi makes a choice


End file.
